Somewhere In Time
by Minstrel164
Summary: Richard Castle finds himself transported twelve years back in time and discovers that he has the opportunity to prevent the murder of Johanna Beckett? What will he do?
1. Chapter 1

**_Here I am back again. I got the idea for this story the other day when the following question popped into my head: What would happen if Richard Castle found himself transported back in time twelve years and discovers it is the day of Johanna Beckett's murder, what would he do? This story, I hope answers that question. I hope you enjoy it._**

Somewhere In Time

**Part 1**

Richard Castle emerged from the elevator and strode across the lobby to the front door. He paused on the side walk and took a deep breath. He exhaled slowly. He crossed the street and made his way to the park on the other side. Finding a empty bench he sat down and put his head in his hands. His fingers began to massage his temples. He could feel the veins throbbing relentlessly. It was the sign of the onset of a bad headache.

He had spent the last hour in the offices of Black Pawn. More to the point he had spent the past hour in Gina's office. He had been an disinterested bystander while Paula and Gina went at it hammer and tongs arguing over his next four book contract with Black Pawn. Gina had made the mistake of making the suggestion at the start of the meeting that the Nikki Heat series had run its course and he should look to find another character to write about.

That suggestion had gotten Castle's back up but before he could open his mouth Paula had donned the suit of armour and picked up the heavy lance and rode into battle like some champion from medieval times. Paula as always fought tooth and nail for him. Fought like someone who took no prisoners when it came to getting the best deal for Richard Castle.

Gina for her part never took a backward step when it came to negotiating book contracts. She fought with equal ferocity to make sure her company Black Pawn didn't give away the entire farm when it came to their best selling author, no matter how successful he was. Her suggestion about dropping Nikki Heat was quickly buried before the battle moved to other topics.

There had been a time when Castle had enjoyed watching these two women fighting it out like a pair of heavy weight prize fighters. He found it amusing, a real laugh, he looked forward to it. There had even been one time he had brought a bucket of popcorn to munch on as he watched them verbally dook it out.

Today was not one of those days. He had found it tiresome. He had wondered why he was even needed to be present as the two women clawed and scratched each other, figuratively speaking, as they tried to hammer out the best deal they could for him.

After an hour of this sparring it got too much for Castle. There were other places he could be right now. More than anything he wanted to be at the Twelfth precinct sitting in his chair and watching his favourite detective as she did paperwork, and trying very hard not to annoy her by staring at her or playing angry Birds on his phone, hoping that a body might drop but happy just to be in her presence.

He had tried very hard to get out of the meeting with his publisher and agent. He had come up with a number of excuses one of which was that he was needed at the precinct more than he was needed at the meeting. Neither Paula nor Gina bought that. They both insisted he had to be at the meeting. With great reluctance he agreed to be at the meeting.

Having listened to that same old arguments going back and forth for an hour Castle had had enough. He simply had gotten to his feet and strolled out of the office. He knew that neither Gina or Paula were aware that he had left the office. More than likely it would be at least a couple of hours before they had thrashed out a deal that both were happy with and realise that Castle was nowhere to be found. If they wanted him they could call him until then he just had to get out of the office.

Castle lifted his head. It took him a moment to realise he had wandered into City Hall Park. His eyes focused on the construction of One World Trade Centre in the distance. It was a hive of activity as it rose ever skywards, one floor at a time like some slow rising phoenix. Even now ten years on he found it a little hard not seeing those iconic twin towers. The painful memories of that fateful day came flooding back to him. He pushed them to the back of his mind.

* * *

><p>Castle felt the headache starting to get worse. He leaned back against the park bench. Once more he rubbed his temples but it only provided minor relief at best. What he needed was some aspirin or paracetamol he thought to himself. He removed his fingers and closed his eyes. The remorseless throbbing in his head made his eyes hurt. Before he knew it he was asleep.<p>

**Part 2**

Castle snapped open his eyes and blinked. With growing embarrassment he realised that he had fallen asleep whilst sitting on the park bench. He looked at his watch and saw that he had not been asleep for too long. No more than twenty minutes. He was grateful for small mercies. All ready he could imagine pictures of him splashed about in some of the more trashy magazines or worse on the net of him fast asleep on a park bench. The captions to go with the pictures did not bear thinking about.

As Castle looked about him something caught his eye. Turning his attention to it his eyes widened in shock. He blinked several times. He could not believe what he was seeing. It couldn't be right, no way. He had to be dreaming he thought to himself. This was not real.

What had shocked Castle was the sight of the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. Standing in all their glory as if they had never been attacked. He stared dumbfounded. He had to rub his eyes and look again. Sure enough the twin towers still remained in his vision. This had to be a dream surely?

He continued to stare at the twin towers.

"Excuse me Mr Castle, is this seat taken?"

Castle dragged his eyes from the twin towers and looked up the man who was standing in front of him. The man was aged in his mid to late fifties, tall with short receding black hair, thick eyebrows and dressed in a dark business suit that had been bought off the wrack. The man reminded Castle of the actor Pete Postlethwaite. He certainly spoke with a mid Atlantic accent.

"Is this seat taken?"

"No...please." Castle motioned to the man to sit down as he moved to give him room on the bench.

"Thank you Mr Castle."

Castle once more returned to staring at the twin towers. Still he could not believe what he was seeing.

"Magnificent looking structures are they, not?" Said the man.

"Yeah."

"So sad, so very sad they came down."

Castle was hardly listening to the man sitting beside him. But he did hear the last thing the man said. Castle round on the man.

"You know they came down?"

The man grinned and nodded.

"Is this all some kind of weird dream I'm having?"

"No, Mr Castle, nothing as prosaic as that I can assure you."

"You mean this is all real?" Castle said his voice rising a notch or two in line with his eyebrows which had shot up.

"I'm afraid it is."

Castle could not believe what he was hearing. He did not want to believe what he was hearing. He could feel panic rising within in him which he tried to damp down and barely managing the task.

"Who are you...what am I doing here...what year is this?" Castle said hurriedly.

The man chuckled softly as the smile on his face deepened.

"You can call me Mr Smith."

Castle rolled his eyes. "Mr Smith, really?"

"Well you would not be able to pronounce my real name, so Mr Smith will have to suffice." Mr Smith explained.

"Okay."

"I am here as your guardian."

"You're an angel?" Castle exclaimed.

Mr Smith laughed heartily at that. He shook his head after a moment.

"My official title is a Space Time Continuum Facilitator..."

"You're a Time Lord?" Castle was incredulous.

"No, Mr Castle." Mr Smith said. "If you will allow me to explain and in the process I will provide an answer to your second question."

Castle had his mouth open ready to fire another question at the man who called himself Mr Smith. He closed his mouth and nodded to Mr Smith for him to continue.

"You Mr Castle are the unfortunate victim of having been caught up in a small tear in the Space Time Continuum and have been transported back to the past."

Castle's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he stared at Mr Smith. He was too shocked to speak.

"You would be most surprised to learn, I'm sure, Mr Castle that holes in the Space Time Continuum occur on a fairly regular basis. Fortunately there are facilitators like myself who are on hand to assist people such as yourself. We are here to assist you to orientate yourself in your new environment, advise you on what you can and can not do, and try to help you return from whence you came."

"You can send me back?"

"When the time is right."

"When will that be?" Castle asked anxiously.

The smile on Mr Smith's face faltered and then faded completely.

"As to when you return from whence you came, that I can not say, Mr Castle."

"Why not?"

"Well unfortunately, holes in the Space Time Continuum are unpredictable little buggers. They pop up whenever they feel like it not when we want them." Mr Smith explained and offered up an apologetic smile.

"You mean I'm stuck here?"

"Let us say you could be here for five minutes, a few hours, some months or even years."

"I'm stuck here!" Castle shrieked.

Castle leaned forward and covered his face with his hands. This could not be real he silently told himself. His over active imagination had exploded and he had gone mad. Stark raving mad. That was the only thing that could explain this. He had gone mad.

"Now I know how Sam Tyler felt." Castle muttered through his hands.

Mr Smith chuckled at Castle's remark.

Suddenly Castle jumped to his feet and started to pace back and forth.

"I don't belong here." He said. "I belong back in the future...I have to get back...you have to send me back."

"Mr Castle" Mr Smith barked.

Castle stopped pacing and looked at Mr Smith. Mr Smith smiled up at him.

"You're starting to get hysterical. Please sit down and take a deep breath."

Castle did not want to sit down he wanted to rant and rave. He wanted to shout and scream at what the Universe had dumped on him. One admonishing look from Mr Smith had Castle sitting down on the bench. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Feel better, Mr Castle?" Mr Smith inquired.

"No."

"I understand."

"Do you?"

Mr Smith smiled and nodded his head but did not explain further.

"Right now you have to focus on the present, Mr Castle." Mr Smith told him. "Not on the future and not the past. You have to focus on the present."

Castle nodded his head in understanding. He closed his eyes and let out a long heavy sigh. He had to focus on the present, he reminded himself. Opening his eyes he looked at the twin towers. A thought occurred to him.

"Mr Smith, what year is it?"

"The year is 1999."

"What's the date?" Castle demanded.

Mr Smith told him.

Castle sat back on the bench and gazed at that twin towers. There was something about the date that rang a bell in the back of his head. He could not quite put his finger on it but he had a feeling that it was important for some reason.

"What would you like to do, Mr Castle?" Mr Smith said breaking the silence that had descended between them.

"I'd like to go home, Mr Smith."

"I am working on it, Mr Castle." Mr Smith assured the writer. "In the meantime what would you like to do? We can stay here for a little while or we could go for a drive, I have a car."

"If I'm going to be stuck here, where do I live?"

"That will be taken care of."

"Hang on a minute." Castle said, his face brightening. "I have a place to live, I have my loft."

"That is one place you can not go." Mr Smith frowned.

"But..."

"No buts Mr Castle. You can not go to your loft. The Richard Castle of this time can not meet you."

"What about my daughter, Alexis?"

"I'm afraid not." Mr Smith shook his head.

"I can't see her?"

"Perhaps from a distance." Mr Smith offered after seeing the stricken look on the other man's face.

"That's so not fair."

Mr Smith explained to the author why he could not meet his daughter or the Richard Castle of 1999. It had something to do with interfering with the course of history, changing the future. Castle nodded his head as Mr Smith spoke but he was barely listening. All he could think about was not seeing his daughter again. Just the thought of it was too painful for words. Then his mind drifted to the one woman in his life he loved more than life itself.

The next moment his eyes widened. The ringing bell had risen to a deafening clang.

"Mr Smith what date did you say it was?"

Once more Mr Smith provided him with the date.

Castle quickly jumped to his feet. He looked down to Mr Smith.

"What time is it now?"

Mr Smith checked the watch on his wrist. "It is four thirty."

Castle checked his own watch and nodded his agreement.

"Can you get me to Washington Heights?"

"I can do that, Mr Castle." Mr Smith said as he rose to his feet. "May I inquire as to why you want to be taken to Washington Heights?"

"Where's your car?" Castle said anxiously, ignoring the man's question.

Mr Smith pointed in the direction of City Hall.

"You get to park at City Hall?"

Mr Smith grinned. "A Space Time Continuum Facilitator has its privileges."

Castle started to run in the direction. Mr Smith was forced to run just to catch up to the author.

"Why the hurry to get to Washington Heights, Mr Castle?" Mr Smith asked once he caught up to Castle.

"I need to get there before seven-thirty, can you get me there by then?"

"I think I can manage that but why?"

"I'll explain once we're in the car."

Castle increased his pace leaving Mr Smith behind. The older man shook his head and ran after the fleeing author.

**XXXXX**

_**What do you think of the story so far? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.**_

_**Con **_


	2. Chapter 2

Part 3

"Mr Castle I beseech you not to do this." Mr Smith pleaded, breaking the silence in the car. "if you intervene it will have ramifications that you could not even begin to imagine."

Castle glanced over to the older man.

"I'm a writer, I can imagine a great many things."

"Not the consequences of what you plan to do." Mr Smith waited a response from Castle but when none came he continued. "You're actions will change the course of the future."

"I certainly hope so." Castle said in a low voice as he turned his attention back to the front of the alley.

He might be stuck here in New York of 1999 but he was going to do something about what had occurred on this night. He was going to save a woman from being murdered and in the process save a husband and a daughter.

Castle and Mr Smith were sitting in Mr Smith's car. The older man had broken speed records and a few traffic laws to get here as quickly as they could. They had been sitting in the car for over an hour. During that time afternoon had turned to evening as the veil of night descended over the city that never sleeps.

During the car ride Castle had explained to Mr Smith why he needed to get to Washington Heights before seven-thirty. On learning why Castle needed to get there Mr Smith almost made a u-turn. He threatened and cajoled, bartered and even tried reasoning with the author to try and dissuade him from doing what he planned to do. He was not ready to give up though.

"The reality that you know will be changed." Mr Smith continued. "Some of the people that you know, that you care about...that you love, may no longer be there when you return. Your life will be changed."

"You mean I won't be a world famous author?" Castle quipped humourlessly.

"That will remain, I'm sure Mr Castle." Mr Smith said. "but other aspects of the life you know will be changed."

"Mr Smith I have to do this."

Mr Smith looked at Castle for some moments before he shook his head. He saw the glint of determination in the writer's face and realised that his words had fallen on deaf ears. Castle cast his eyes again to the entrance to the alley. He had seen Johanna Beckett walk into the alley five minutes ago.

"Mr Smith you have to understand that if I can prevent this murder tonight, then I will prevent a husband losing himself for years inside a whiskey bottle." Castle said. Turning away from the alley he looked at Mr Smith. He needed to have the older man understand why he was doing this. "If I can prevent this murder tonight I will spare the daughter twelve years and more of heartache and misery."

"There is no guarantee, Mr Castle." Mr Smith pointed out.

"I know but I have to at least try."

"Do you have any idea what you're sacrificing?"

Castle closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. He held it for a moment or two. Did he know what he was sacrificing? Oh yes, he knew full well what he was giving up. It was in that moment that he finally came to understand the true meaning of the word pain. He could feel his heart breaking, slowly shattering into pieces. He was giving up his own happiness so the woman that he loved could be spared the heartbreaking agony of losing her mother on this night. He released his breath in a heavy sigh. Opening his eyes he tried to focus his gaze on the older man but his vision was a little blurry. He gave Mr Smith a nod of his head.

"Do you, Mr Castle?" Mr Smith demanded, wanting to hear Castle's answer.

"More than you will ever know." Castle said, his voice thick with emotion.

Mr Smith regarded the writer sitting next to him and after a moment he nodded head.

"I can't stop you, Mr Castle." Mr Smith sighed. "Do what you must."

Mr Smith waved his hand. Castle rubbed his eyes with his fists. He gave a nod to the older man and got out of the car. He brushed the tears from his eyes again and quickly composed himself. He quickly looked up and down the street searching for any sign of Coonan. He was a little relived to find no sign of the assassin but he still remained on his guard. The assassin could have been hiding, waiting for the right moment to launch his strike. Castle had tangled with him once before and knew what the man was capable of. Castle did not want to meet him again. There were a few locals making their way along the street but they paid Castle no heed.

Castle took a deep breath and then exhaled, quickly he walked to the entrance to the alley and turned into it.

XXXX

Part 4

Castle walked quickly but not too quickly while at the same time trying to control his racing heart. He spotted Johanna Beckett standing at the far end by the wall where the Sons of Salerno club

once had been. He approached her cautiously. Hearing his approach Johanna Beckett turned around suddenly looking startled and frightened. Castle emerged from the shadows, stopped and raised his hands a little trying to show that he was not a danger to her.

"Mrs Beckett?"

"Yes?"

"Mrs Johanna Beckett?"

" Who are you?" Johanna demanded.

"I am a friend of your..." Castle paused. "I am a friend."

"Do I know you?"

"No but I know you."

Johanna took a couple of steps towards Castle studying him carefully.

"You look familiar."

Castle allowed a small grin to cross his lips.

"You are not safe here." Castle told her turning serious. "You are in danger."

Johanna Beckett tilted her head and stared at Castle with a defiant look on her face. It almost brought a smile to Castle's face. It was a look that he had seen countless times before on the face of her daughter. He knew he had to convince her of the seriousness this situation.

"You're investigating the case of Joe Pulgatti, who was convicted of the murder of FBI special agent Bob Armen. The murder which took place right here." Castle pointed to the spot where the FBI agent's body had been found.

"You have been digging into his case and have found things that don't quiet gel." Castle added. "And you believe Pulgatti has been framed."

"How...how...do..."

"Doesn't matter how I know. I just know." Castle said quickly. "The man is innocent but right now that doesn't matter. What matter's is that you're life is in danger."

Johanna Beckett looked shocked at what Castle had just told her. She opened her mouth to say something but Castle did not give her the chance to say anything.

"The people who covered up the murder and made Pulgatti the patsy are worried about you digging around. They have hired a hitman to kill you. The man's name is Dick Coonan and he is due here any minute. He will stab you but make it look like a random act of gang violence."

Johanna still looked shocked but she recovered her wits.

"How do I know you're not the hitman?" She challenged.

Castle ran a hand through his hair trying to mask his frustration. So like her daughter, he thought to himself, sounded a lot like her too. Why was it his fate to always come up against the stubbornness of the Beckett women, he wondered to himself? It was not going the way he had planned. He dropped his hand and fixed his gaze on Johanna.

"Mrs Beckett my name is Richard Castle."

A spark of recognition ignited in Johanna Beckett's eyes which spread across her face.

"The writer?"

Castle nodded his head.

A small grin appeared on the woman's face. "You look a lot younger in your pictures."

"I can explain that but not right now, not here." Castle replied. He paused to take a breath and as he did he glanced over his shoulder to the opening of the alley before he turned to look at Johanna. "I know I'm asking a great deal of you to place your trust in me, to trust someone you have never met before but you have to believe me that your life is in grave danger and you must get away from here."

Johanna Beckett weighed up what Castle had told her. She was still sceptical but she saw the sincerity in Castle's face. After some moments of silent debate she consented with a nod of her head.

Castle let out a loud sigh of relief as he escorted her out of the alley and to the waiting car. Mr Smith opened the back door for her and she got in. Castle jumped in behind her. A minute later Mr Smith eased the car into the traffic. As they were drawing away Castle glanced out the window and saw a tall heavy set man turn into the alley. While Castle did not see the man's face he knew that it was Dick Coonan. A wave of relief swept through him. He had been in time.

Johanna Beckett had settled against the other door as far away from Castle as possible. She turned to look at him still not sure of him.

"They've sent you to scare me off the case, haven't they?"

Castle shook his head. "I hope you get the bastards."

Johanna Beckett's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Not what you expected, huh?" Castle chuckled.

Johanna shook her head. "You said you would explain, Mr Castle. Now is a good time."

Castle nodded his head. He looked away from Johanna and glanced out the window. He ran his hand through his hair as he marshalled his thoughts. He let out a sigh before he turned to look at Johanna.

"You are not going to believe me but what I am about to tell you is the truth." Castle said quietly. "I am from the future."

Johanna rolled her eyes and shook her head. Castle could not help but smile at that all too familiar response to something he said.

"Hard to believe, I know." He offered.

"You've escaped from Bellevue, haven't you Mr Castle?" Johanna shot back.

"Please call me Rick." Castle said, offering her a small smile. "And no I haven't escaped from Bellevue, though if I was in your place that's exactly what I'd be thinking."

Johanna shook her head and look out the window on her side.

"Let's say for the sake of courtesy I believe you, Mr...Rick?"

"Believe me or don't believe me that's up to you but save judgment until I have presented my case, counsellor."

Johanna turned away from the passenger window and looked at Castle sharply. A small amused smile appeared on her lips. She inclined her head indicating for him to continue.

"You received a letter from a Joe Pulgatti professing his innocence for the crime that he had been convicted of, the murder of FBI agent Bob Armen. He'd written many letters to lawyers but all of them had either ignored him or turned him down. Not you."

Johanna nodded her head.

"In reading his letter you found something that sparked your interest, piqued your curiosity. For whatever reason, you wrote back to him and promised to look into his case. You visited him in prison a few times to discuss the case and even talked to him about family, your family...your daughter Kate to be exact."

Castle paused to look across to her and saw Johanna trying very hard not to look surprised at what he had just told her. Though her face was a mask it was her eyes, her green eyes that gave her thoughts away.

"So you did a little digging to see what you could find." Castle resumed his story. "And what you found smelled very fishy. So you started to dig a little deeper, and deeper." Castle said. "And what you discovered was that Pulgatti had indeed been telling the truth. He had been framed for a murder he did not commit. How am I doing so far, Mrs Beckett?"

"Go on." Johanna's voice sounded a little hoarse.

"What you don't know is that for some years prior to Special Agent Armen's murder some renegade cops had been kidnapping mobsters off the streets and dispensing summary justice and then extorting large sums of money for their release.

"One night these cops tried to kidnap Joe Pulgatti in that alley. He was with Bob Armen who was working undercover in the mob that Pulgatti belonged to. As the cops tried to grab Pulgatti a struggle ensued. Armen tried to intervene and in the struggle a gun was produced and Armen was shot an killed. It was easier to pin the murder on Pulgatti than allowing the truth to come out."

A look of surprise appeared on Johanna's face but she did not speak. Castle continued speaking.

"What you also don't know is that your digging into this case has attracted the attention of the very people who had framed Pulgatti. These people would prefer that their deeds remain hidden and not be brought into the light of day which would happen if you continue with this case. Now they could have confronted you and tried to warn you off this case, scare you away, but I suspect they realised that you don't frighten easily."

Johanna smirked at his last remark.

"The leader of these people, we'll call him the Dragon, decided you were too much of a danger to them so he has decided to have you eliminated. To kill you and the other people who have been helping you, Diane Cavanaugh, Jennifer Stewart and Scott Murray. The Dragon has hired a hit man, an ex-special forces soldier to kill all of you. His name is Dick Coonan. Tonight he was going to murder you in that alley and have the police, those same renegade cops pass it off as a random act of gang violence, and then kill the other three people."

Johanna started shaking her head. "This is too far fetched to be believed, Rick."

Castle reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. He switched it on and quickly scrolled through the files.

"What is that?" Johanna asked staring at the device Castle held in his hand.

"This is what cell phones are like in the future, more like a mini computers, real cool." Castle grinned.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Finding the right file, Castle opened it with a touch of his finger.

"Perhaps this might convince you a little more than my story so far, Mrs Beckett."

Castle turned the phone around to show her the display on the screen. It was a picture of Johanna Beckett's murder file. Johanna leaned closer to the held out phone. Castle slid a little closer to allow her to see it more clearly. Castle tapped the screen and the next photograph appeared. It was the summary page of the file.

"Look at the date on the page."

"That's today."

Castle watched Johanna as she read the page. Even in the dimness of the backseat he could see that the colour had drained from her face. Another tap on the screen and a photograph of the murder scene appeared. Another tap of the screen and another crime scene photograph appeared. Johanna Beckett let out a horrified gasp. A hand reached up to her mouth. She looked over at Castle, her eyes wide, the shock clearly etched on her face.

"If I had not shown up tonight this would have been your fate, Mrs Beckett." Castle said in a low voice.

After showing a few more pages Castle closed the file down and placed the phone in his lap. Castle hated himself for frightening the woman sitting next to him but he comforted himself with the thought that it was the only way he could make her believe him.

There was silence in the car for some minutes. Johanna stared out the window trying to digest what she had seen and what she had been told. She did not want to believe what she had seen with her own eyes. Yet she could not dismiss it.

"What you have told me Rick...is..."

"I know. I'm a writer and get paid to come up with such plots but even I find it quite fantastical." Castle told her. "But what I have told you is the truth as incredible it may sound, it's the truth."

The car pulled up to the kerb near the restaurant where Johanna's husband and daughter were waiting for her. Johanna turned to look at Castle.

"Why?"

Why what?" Castle looked puzzled.

"Why are you doing this?" Johanna said. "Why tell me all this?"

Castle glanced out the window and saw Jim Beckett and Kate seated at a window table. Father and daughter were laughing over something that they had found amusing. He had seen photographs of a younger Kate but not a single photograph he had ever seen did justice to the young Kate Beckett he was watching there in the restaurant.

"I didn't want to see you killed." Castle said in a low voice as he continued to gaze out the window.

"There's more to it than that, isn't there?" Johanna questioned.

Castle dragged his eyes from the young Kate Beckett sitting in the restaurant and turned to look at Johanna. He nodded his head slowly. Johanna gave him a pointed look as she waited for him to continue speaking.

"Because of your murder Jim, your husband tries to kill the pain of your loss by losing himself in the bottle and almost loses Kate in the process." Castle said quietly. "Kate manages somehow to bring him back from the brink and their strained relationship is slowly being repaired.

"Because of your murder Kate is so devastated even I can't find the right words to describe it, and she is not the daughter you know and love, she is a different person. However she burns with a passion for one thing. She joins the NYPD and eventually becomes a homicide detective, a damn good one I might add. But from the moment she becomes a cop she is obsessed with finding the people who ordered your death. It all but consumes her. And as she gets closer the people behind your murder decide to stop her. They send a hit man after her. His name was Hal Lockwood. We capture him and send him to jail. But that doesn't stop them, that doesn't stop the Dragon. Lockwood is sprung from custody but he is killed in a gunfight with Kate's precinct captain. Yet even that doesn't stop the Dragon. He sends another hit man after Kate. He shoots her at the cemetery while she is delivering the eulogy for her captain."

Johanna let out a shocked gasp. "Oh my God."

"Kate survived the shooting, Mrs Beckett." Castle assured her quickly. "She is fine believe me."

Castle did not go in the details about the shooting and its aftermath. Johanna Beckett did not need to know that. More importantly he did not want to dredge up those memories for they were still very painful to recall. He picked up his phone and opened up a photo file.

"Would you like to see how Kate looks in the future?"

"Yes please." Johanna said eagerly.

Castle handed her the phone and watched the look of pure joy that appeared on Johanna's face as she gazed at the photograph of her daughter.

"Oh wow, my Katie is so beautiful."

"Yes, she is. You would be so proud of her." Castle smiled.

"Ten years from now, in the future that I come from I meet Kate. It doesn't take me long to realise that next to my daughter, Kate is the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Johanna raised her eyebrows questioningly. Castle explained how they met and worked a case together and after that how he was able to follow her around and help out with her cases.

"You love my daughter." Johanna observed.

"Yes very, very much." Castle confessed.

Johanna smiled at Castle as she gave him back his phone. He closed it down and returned it to his jacket pocket. He looked out the window to the restaurant and saw Jim Beckett checking his watch.

"You're family is waiting for you Mrs Beckett." Castle announced. He opened his door and got out holding it open for Johanna. Standing on the side walk Johanna glanced in the direction of the restaurant and saw her family. A warm smile rose to her lips before she turned to look at Castle.

"I'm not going to drop this case." Johanna declared.

"If you're anything like your daughter I'd expect nothing less." Castle returned her smile.

"I will be very careful though."

Castle nodded his understanding. Knowing what the Dragon and his minions were capable of he desperately hoped that she would take precautions.

Johanna started to walk away but a thought occurred to her, she stopped and turned around to look at Castle.

"Isn't there some law that forbid time travellers from changing the past because it can affect the future?"

Castle nodded his head.

"So it could be a totally different future that you might return to?"

Castle nodded again.

"And you're okay with that?"

Castle shook his head. "No, not really."

Johanna raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I don't want Kate to endure twelve years of pain and sadness because of your death, Mrs Beckett. Not if I can help it. I want her to be happy, just like she is now. She deserves that."

Suddenly Johanna walked up to Castle. He was taken by surprise when she kissed him on the cheek.

"You're a remarkable man, Rick." She said smiling. "Thank you."

Castle stood by the car and watched as Johanna Beckett walked into the restaurant. A sad smile appeared on his face as he watched Johanna greet her husband and daughter with hugs and kisses. A heavy sigh escaped from his lips as he slowly got back into the car. He shut the door and rested his head against the head rest.

"I know I was dead set against you doing what you did but for what it's worth, Mr Castle, I think you did good tonight." Mr Smith said as he looked at the writer. "You have not saved one life tonight but six, that's something to be proud of."

"Then why do I feel like I have won the lottery but have lost the winning ticket?"

Mr Smith chuckled as he turned to face the front and started up the car. He pulled away from the kerb and drove away from the restaurant.

"I have some good news for you, Mr Castle." he called over his shoulder some minutes of silence after . "You should be on your home tonight."

Castle did not respond the Mr Smith. He was staring absently out the side window not seeing anything and not caring about the tears that streamed down his face.

XXXX

_**You're thoughts on this chapter would be greatly appreciated, dear reader.**_

_**Con **_


	3. Chapter 3

Part 5

Castle felt numb as he walked through the dark park. It was all he could do just to put one foot in front of the other. In the car ride back to the park he kept telling himself he had done the right thing but that mantra could not fill the great emptiness he now felt in his heart, no matter how many times he repeated it. He doubted that anything ever would. He was telling himself even now, he had done the right thing.

The memory of the young Kate Beckett sitting in the window table of the restaurant was burned deeply in his memory. Her unbridled happy smile provided some comfort to him. It was something to hold on to. But really there was nothing that would make him feel better. Right now he wanted nothing more than to crawl up into a ball.

Mr Smith walked beside Castle silently but constantly looking across to him, a guiding hand on his arm. His face was creased with lines of concern at the younger man's deep despondency.

"Now sit yourself down here, Mr Castle." Mr Smith said as he guided Castle to the same park bench they had been sitting on earlier in the day. "Are you starting to feel a headache coming on?"

Castle did not care about the pain in his head it was the unrelenting pain in his heart that was of more concern. He glanced at Mr Smith and nodded his head.

"Good."

Castle raised a questioning eyebrow at the older man.

"That's a sign that the hole in the Space Time Continuum is approaching." Mr Smith explained.

Castle turned his attention away from the older man and stared blankly at the brilliantly lit World Trade Centre twin towers.

Mr Smith regarded the author sitting on the park bench. Most if not all of the people he had facilitated over the years would have been overjoyed at this moment and excited at the prospect of returning to their proper time. This man before him was a picture of the deepest misery he had ever seen.

The older man sat down beside Castle.

"There are one or two things I must tell you before you go, Mr Castle." Mr Smith paused waiting for a response from the author. Castle remained silent as he continued to stare into the distance. "Because of your intervention tonight, the time line has changed. When you return to your time Mr Castle evidence of the young lady will no doubt have disappeared, needless to say you will probably not even remember her."

Castle turned and levelled an angry glare at Mr Smith.

"That is the way of things I'm afraid, Mr Castle. Because you saved the life of Johanna Beckett tonight you have changed history and as a result a different history will unfold from this moment."

"You mean she doesn't walk into my book launch party?"

Mr Smith frowned and slowly shook his head.

"For your sake, Mr Castle I truly wished it was so but I doubt it I'm afraid."

"It was my choice, Mr Smith." Castle sighed in a low voice. "And I will have to live with the consequences."

Mr Smith rose to his feet and looked down at Castle.

"Well I will be taking my leave now, Mr Castle." Mr Smith said. "I must say that it has been a great pleasure meeting you."

Castle looked up at the older man. "I wish I could say the same thing."

Mr Smith nodded his head in understanding. A small sympathetic smile reached his lips. He held out his hand to the author. Castle looked at the outstretched hand for a moment before he shook it.

"Now just close your eyes, Mr Castle and say: _'there's no place like home'_"

Castle glared up Mr Smith. The older man chuckled.

"A little facilitator humour, Mr Castle."

Castle turned away from the older man and focused his gaze to the twin towers. He closed his eyes and wished nothing more than to forget. It was a blessed relief when the darkness enveloped him and he felt nothing.

XXXX

Part 6

Castle opened his eyes to find himself laying in bed. The moment he opened his eyes he regretted the action as his head started to throb from the sudden pounding of the big base drum that had taken residence inside his skull. Shutting his eyes he started to rub his temples and was more than a little surprised to feel the immediate relief that his massaging fingers brought. The base drummer marched off the stage and was replaced by someone with bongo drums.

Feeling a little brave Castle opened his eyes slowly and discovered he was laying in his bed. For a minute he lay quite still staring up at the ceiling. For the life of him he could not remember what had happened the night before. He tried but no matter how hard he tried he could not remember. It was all a blank. He could recall a time when this was a common occurrence. Not long after he had published his first or second book and he was being hailed as the next best thing to hit the literary world. He would go out partying till all hours of the night and come the morning have only the vaguest of recollections of what he had gotten up to and with whom.

The pounding in his head was ebbing away slowly. He must have tied one on last night Castle figured. It must have been a real humdinger of a bender for him not to remember anything about it. What he found a little funny was that he had the headache of a hangover but not the accompanying dry throat and a tongue that felt like it had done duty at the bottom of a birdcage.

With the headache fading evening more Castle felt a little braver and rolled onto his side. On seeing the other side of the bed messed up a small smile appeared on his lips. Sliding his hand over he found the other side of the bed was a little warm, it's previous occupant having gotten up not all that long ago. He breathed in the scent of cherries and smiled even more. He did not know why but he found he rather liked the scent of cherries.

Castle slowly rose up into a sitting position. He reached for his discarded boxers and pulled them on. He let out a loud yawn. As he yawned he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. As he focused he looked over to the chair next to the bedside table. Rising from the bed he reached out and scooped up the black lacy bra and panties that had been tossed over the chair.

"You old dog you..." Castle chuckled aloud as he studied the undergarments. His experienced eye told him that these had come from Victoria's Secret.

Suddenly the chuckling died in his throat and he dropped the underwear as if they had suddenly caught fire.

"Oh my God!" he gasped.

He did not bring someone back home last night did he? He could not have been that foolish...that stupid, could he? It greatly bothered him that he could not remember. The evidence that he had done such a thing now lay at his feet. Castle let out a groan.

He always went out of his way not to bring women he was dating back to the loft. With a teenage daughter the last thing he wanted to do was to make his daughter Alexis feel uncomfortable having strange women wandering the loft.

His alarm grew as he began to wonder where the mystery woman was. There was no sound coming from the adjacent en suite bathroom. She did not wander downstairs? That thought horrified him. He could only admonish himself for this lapse in judgment.

"Dad?" Came Alexis' voice.

A look of panic crossed Castle's face as he saw the bedroom door opening. With flick of his foot Castle kicked the lingerie under his bed.

"Dad." Alexis said and stopped. She saw the look on Castle's face. "Dad are you all right?"

"I'm fine pumpkin." Castle replied hurriedly, trying to look innocent.

"Are you sure?"

It did not work.

"I'm sure." Castle insisted, nodding his head. He forced a smile to his face.

Alexis regarded her father carefully. She knew him well enough to know that he was either up to something or was trying to hide something. After a moment she chose not to press the matter. She let it go.

"It's your turn to make breakfast." Alexis announced.

"I'll be down in a minute, sweetheart."

"No you're coming down now." Alexis told him. "Last time you went back to sleep."

Alexis moved into the bedroom and grabbed the t-shirt he had discarded the night before and tossed it to him.

"Come on Dad, we're all getting hungry."

Castle pulled on the t-shirt that his daughter had thrown at him. He smoothed down his hair and motioned to his daughter to lead the way out of the bedroom.

As Castle was halfway down the stairs he started looking around hoping to catch sight of the mystery woman who had shared his bed last night while at the same time hoping that his daughter did not spot her. He was resolved to the fact he had a lot of explaining to do once the mystery woman made her appearance.

A hopeful thought occurred to him. Perhaps the woman had all ready left the loft? Perhaps she had gone all ready and left her underwear for him as a souvenir? Well that would not be the first time that had happened, he mused to himself.

"I'll get everything ready for you, shall I Dad?" Alexis said.

"That would be great pumpkin." Castle replied as he did another quickly look around of the loft.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs Alexis skipped in the direction of the kitchen. Castle's attention was suddenly drawn to the loud knocking on the door.

"Can you get the door, honey?" Came a female voice from Castle's office.

Castle almost wrenched his neck with the speed he turned his head. The door to his office was half open and he could not see in but he could hear noise coming from within. The voice that had called out was very familiar but for the life of him he did not know why. Was it the mystery woman? And why didn't Alexis react? He was about to head in the direction of his office to investigate.

The knocking sounded again. A little louder than before. Castle turned back for the front door.

"Umm...I got it." Castle called out.

Castle reached the front door and rubbed the last remnants of sleep from his eyes before he opened the door. He blinked rapidly with astonishment and was now wide awake when he saw who was standing there.

"Mr Smith?"

"Good morning, Mr Castle."

Castle was stunned at seeing Mr Smith standing before him.

"W...w...what are you doing here?" Castle stammered.

"Might I have a word, please?"

"Certainly." Castle opened the door wider to let Mr Smith in.

"No, in private." Mr Smith replied, and then motioned his head for Castle to join him in the corridor.

Castle stepped out and half closed the door.

"What are you doing here, Mr Smith?" Castle said. His eyes grew wider in alarm. "There hasn't been another wrinkle in the Space Time Continuum again? I haven't been sent to a different part of the Space Time Continuum or something?"

"Oh no Mr Castle, everything is fine. You will be pleased to know you have been returned to your proper place and time." Mr Smith assured him. "No, I am here as a follow up. You were in no condition to listen to me last night."

Castle suddenly remembered the events of last night with Mr Smith. All the pain and heartache came rushing back to him at the speed of an out of control freight train.

"Mrs Beckett is she all right?" Castle asked anxiously.

Mr Smith smiled and nodded his head. "Mrs Beckett is fine, alive and well I might add. And thanks to your timely warning Mrs Beckett took the proper precautions to ensure her safety."

Castle slumped against the wall and ran his hand across his forehead. "Thank goodness for that." he sighed.

"Yes, yes indeed, Mr Castle." Mr Smith said. "Now as I was saying there were some instructions that you needed..."

"And Kate...how is Kate?" Castle interjected anxiously. "Is...is...she happy?"

A flicker of annoyance flittered across Mr Smith's face at Castle's interruption.

"Please you have to tell me, did Kate find the happiness that she deserved?" Castle demanded, growing ever more agitated.

"Oh yes, Mr Castle, Kate Beckett found happiness." Mr Smith informed him.

"Good...that's good to hear."

Castle felt a ray of hope grow inside him. Could he seek her out? Search for her? Could they possibly meet by chance? All manner of possibilities coursed through his head...perhaps...perhaps.

"Yes indeed." Mr Smith agreed before adding. "Happily married for three years now..."

Castle staggered against the wall. He felt like he had been hit in the face with a baseball bat and for good measure another one in his stomach. His chest felt constricted and he found it hard to breath.

"Are you all right, Mr Castle?" Mr Smith asked, concerned.

"Umm...married?"

"Yes to a wonderful fellow no less." Mr Smith smiled. "They have a delightful little girl too."

"Huh?"

Castle was trying desperately to maintain some semblance of control but he knew it was a battle he was going to lose. He pressed against the wall to stop himself from sliding down to the ground. His legs had all of a sudden turned rubbery. Breathing for him was a difficult task. For one ever so brief moment he thought he might have a chance. That hope had been dashed, crushed like one of those characters in cartoons when a 10 ton lead weight drops on them.

"Mr Castle my colleagues and I felt that for your good deed last night you deserved to be rewarded, so instead of returning you on the same direct time line in which you came, you returned to the same time where you started, however with a slight detour." Mr Smith explained.

"I see." Castle said but the look on his face showed that he didn't.

"Once the fog of your time displacement has cleared, which will happen very soon I might add, your memories will return." Mr Smith added, his smile growing slowly. "That's what I wanted to tell you last night but was not able to, Mr Castle."

The door to the loft opened.

"Daddy?" A young high pitched voice called out tentatively.

Castle cast a distracted glance in the direction of the door and saw Alexis standing there looking a little concerned. His gaze lowered. Standing before Alexis was a beautiful little girl, a mass of brunette curls with bright green eyes and a face that reminded him of...Castle pushed the thought away. He looked back to Mr Smith.

"I'll be there in a moment, sweetheart." Castle addressed them.

"Okay Daddy but you know how grumpy mommy gets when she doesn't get her morning coffee?" The little girl said in an admonishing tone.

Did the little girl just called him daddy ? Castle glanced back but Alexis and the little girl had disappeared back inside the loft. Castle faced a smiling Mr Smith.

"You have two very beautiful daughters, Mr Castle." Mr Smith beamed.

Confusion settled on Castle's face as he stared at the older man. Did he say _'daughters?'_ But he only had one daughter, Castle thought to himself. "Huh...daughters?"

Mr Smith continued to smile as he nodded his head.

In that moment the fog of confusion began to lift from Castle. A look of wonderment took residence on his face as his heart began to soar as it beat rapidly. He looked to the front door and then back to Mr Smith. He motioned with his hand bringing it up to his thigh indicating the little girl and then pointed to himself. The older man smiled a little more and nodded his head in answer to Castle's unspoken question.

"Well Mr Castle, I must be off, places to go and people to see. A Space Time Continuum Facilitator's work is never done, you know?" Mr Smith said with a chuckle. "It has been a pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise." Castle replied as he shook the older man's hand.

Castle waited until Mr Smith had stepped into the elevator before he turned and all but burst through the front door. With his heart pounding he rushed to the kitchen. He came to a skidding halt at the sight that greeted him. It was the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld.

His two daughters were standing on the other side of the kitchen counter sorting bowls and ingredients. His youngest daughter was no doubt standing on a stool to be able to reach the counter Castle figured. To one side Kate leaned against the counter with her chin propped in her hand, her fingers covering her mouth, glancing through the morning paper while keeping an eye on the two girls. Kate was wearing one of his old sweat pants and shirt, her hair was tied up in a lose messy bun.

Castle had a smile that split his face. Kate lifted her gaze from the newspaper to find Castle standing there smiling like an idiot. She graced him with a twinkling smile of her own that only made him smile even more.

"Look Jo, there's daddy now." Alexis pointed out.

"Daddy, mommy's still waiting for her coffee." Jo called out.

"Coffee coming right up." Castle announced. He remained where he was standing.

"Who was at the door?" Kate inquired.

"A guy I hadn't seen in twelve years."

"Why didn't you invite him in, Rick?"

"He couldn't stay, he was just passing through." Castle explained.

Kate nodded her head. Castle's feet started moving and he moved right up to where Kate was standing. Suddenly he swept her into his arms and kissed her with a passion he did not know he had. At first Kate was taken by surprise and she resisted but she quickly recovered and returned his kiss with equal ardour.

"Eww dad, kids in the kitchen." Alexis called out with a laugh. Jo also let out a loud giggle.

Castle broke off the kiss but continued to gaze at his wife.

"W...w...what was that for?" Kate stammered in a breathless voice.

"Just for being you." Castle replied, grinning.

Castle gave Kate a quick peck on the lips before releasing her and moved to where his daughters were standing. He kissed both his daughters.

"Now what do my three favourite girls want for breakfast?"

"Pancakes" All three girls shouted in unison and started laughing.

"Pancakes it is." Castle nodded. "Now everyone scoot and let the maestro get to work."

Alexis picked her sister and carried her out of the kitchen. Kate smiled at Castle before she too departed from the kitchen. Castle set about fixing breakfast. He could not recall feeling as happy as he did right now. Silently he thanked the universe for his good fortune.

Finis.

a/n: _There you have it dear reader. When I started writing this story I had not intended it to be a long multi chapter story. And this ending may not be what you had been hoping for. I know there are many unanswered questions from this story. Some of you have been using their Jedi mind tricks on me and have convinced me that this story has a lot of possibilities. So the good news is that in the not too distant future I will post a story that covers the period between Castle's first meeting with Johanna Beckett and the final scene from this story, and which hopefully will answer some or all of the questions you might have right now._

_Before I take my leave for the time being, I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for the __incredible response this story has received so far. It has been absolutely amazing, and I have taken onboard many of your comments and suggestions. Thank you all for taking the time to read this effort, and thank you for sending your reviews._

_Until next time, peace, love and happiness to you all._

_Con _


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